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5 Ways How To Support Your Friend Or Family Member Dealing With Breast Cancer
Last year was one of the toughest year’s for me, I lost 2 friends to Cancer and it was a reminder of how much Cancer is effecting all of our lives in on one way shape or form. My grandmother also passed away from Breast Cancer years ago, when this happened I remembered my mother becoming more aware and alert of the possibility of that being in her future. When I was 19 I had to get a lumpectomy done because of an abnormal growth in my right breast, it was found to be benign but that moment was definitely a wakeup call for me. Cancer has no preferences about how old you are when it strikes. Did you know that Breast cancer is the second most common kind of cancer in women, with skin cancer being the first? While my mother didn’t end up getting Breast Cancer, years later she was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer and had to go through her own personal battle. Watching her grieve and mourn for her mother somewhat prepared me for what I was dealing with when I found out about my best friend and her Cancer. It’s one of the hardest things watching someone you love die slowly, however, it’s important to be there and support them in the best way you can. At the end of the day what your friend or family member is dealing with can’t be about you and they need us to be strong for them.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I love how this annual campaign is being used to increase awareness of the disease and offer information and support to those affected by breast cancer and raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure. For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Aflac will be partnering with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) again for its second annual “This Duck Wears Pink” campaign.
Over those years when my friend J was suffering through her treatments, hopes of improvement and so much more it was gut wrenching to witness but I knew I had to pull up my big girl panties and be someone she could lean on. I’ve found there are 5 ways you can help support a friend or family member who has Cancer.
- Allow them to vent when they need to. No matter how grim or negative they become, sometimes they just need that time to vent there frustrations and just want you to listen.
- Allow them to choose which treatments work best for them. We can all do research and want to be helpful but at the end of the day they are going through it and should have the choice to do what feels right for them.
- Tell them and show them how much you love them while you can. Seems like a no brainer but, since losing my friends and family last year I’ve realized the important of telling EVERYONE I care about how much I love them and care about them.
- Be there for treatments when you can, offer your help without them having to ask. When someone becomes that sick, the last thing they want to feel like is a burden on their loved ones. Be sure to offer them help or just take charge where you can.
- Allow them to come to terms with their possibility of death. I know this is one of the hardest things any of us can do. But, if someone knows that they aren’t getting any better, sometimes we’re doing them a disservice by not allowing them to come to terms with it. I’ve seen so many people pass who weren’t allowed to properly prepare. This has even prompted me to recently get my own life insurance policy so I can be prepared.
About 1 in 8 women born today in the U.S. will get breast cancer at some point in their lives. Those numbers are astounding, but also remind us that we should be prepared to support one another in any way that we can.
Here are some things to consider:
- Early detection is key: Even though Breast Cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the United States, millions of women are surviving breast cancer thanks in part to early detection and improvements in treatment.
- Get Your Annual Screening! The goal of screening exams for breast cancer is to find cancers before they start to cause symptoms (like a lump that can be felt). Screening refers to tests and exams used to find a disease, such as cancer, in people who do not have any symptoms.
- Consider an insurance policy that can help ease worries about the financial cost of breast cancer if it were to occur!
As we get older, I know insurance policies can become a bit of a daunting thought process. However, it’s important to think about the possibilities of things that can happen in our lives. Aflac Cancer Insurance Policy can be used for treatment expenses not covered by major medical insurance, extra child care that may be needed, transportation to and from the doctor or treatments, and even everyday living expenses, such as mortgage payments or groceries. When I think about some of the things my friend J went through, this type of policy would have been extremely helpful for her.
At the end of the day, I’ll leave this off by saying 3 things; love your loved ones while you can, try to be prepared for your future, and don’t take life for granted!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
